Political and economic costs of Teoh Beng Hock case

It is a bit difficult for me to write with a detached mindset on this one but I have to give it a go....



The latest Revelation of a suicide note purportedly written by Teoh Beng Hock has thrown the whole inquest into disarray and causing great anger for Gorbind Singh and re-open the deepest wound of the Teoh family.

We respect and, in deserving cases, honour the dead, not to heap more disrespect on the dead and more hurt on the living.

pix from Oriental Daily

Richard Loh in his excellent write up eloquently sum up the possibility that it is a fabrication. Channel News Asia, the Singapore official news channel, reported that Gorbind Singh considered citing Abdul Ghani Patail for contempt.

All I have to add is that:

1) suicide notes are meant to be found and if a note is meant to be discovered after 2 months, and held in secrecy over a year, then the time it took for the note to surface render its authencity extremely doubtful

2) the first instance of this suicide note was revealed by Jaringan Melayu Malaysia here .

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Sunday, July 25, 2010

Siasat surat terakhir Beng Hock

syahrir.bakar@utusan.com.my

KUALA LUMPUR 24 Julai – Pihak berkuasa diminta segera menyiasat kewujudan surat terakhir tulisan tangan dalam bahasa Cina oleh Teoh Beng Hock sebelum dia ditemui mati di bangunan Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) Shah Alam, tahun lalu.

Yang Dipertua Jaringan Melayu Malaysia (JMM), Azwanddin Hamzah berkata, kewujudan surat itu penting kerana ia berupaya membuktikan bahawa Beng Hock pada waktu itu menghadapi tekanan serta diugut bunuh oleh pihak tertentu dan bukannya SPRM.

‘‘Kewujudan surat tersebut perlu disiasat supaya mendiang Beng Hock dan SPRM mendapat inkues yang adil sementara peguam-peguam yang mewakili inkues tersebut tidak dipengaruhi oleh agenda jahat yang mahu memecahbelahkan perpaduan dalam negara.

‘‘Pelbagai pihak termasuk portal propembangkang, The Malaysian Insider, Malaysiakini dan Malaysia Today telah menyiarkan artikel yang menyalahkan SPRM dan kerajaan dengan mendakwa mendiang telah dibunuh oleh pihak SPRM,” katanya kepada Mingguan Malaysia di sini hari ini.

Azwanddin mengulas tentang maklumat yang diperolehi JMM berhubung kewujudan surat terakhir ditulis Beng Hock sebelum ditemui mati yang kononnya menyatakan dia pada masa itu menghadapi tekanan serta menerima ugutan bunuh.

Kewujudan surat berkenaan turut didedahkan oleh beberapa blog termasuk blog Gerakan Anti PKR.

Azwanddin turut mempersoalkan kegagalan pihak pendakwaan mengemukakan surat itu pada sesi inkues kes berkenaan

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How come this website have exclusive access into withheld evidence not even available to Teoh Beng Hock's counsel or, MACC who is clinging on to dear life defending itself?

Has JMM breached any Official Secret Act provision, contempt of legal proceedings etc?

Nazri, the de facto Law Minister seems to be silent on all this.

3) JMM has explicitly claim that one of the defense counsel, Tan Hock Chuan, has concealed the suicide note.

http://jaringanmelayumal.blogspot.com/2010/07/benarkah-peguam-sembunyikan-surat-teoh.html

"Tan Hock Chuan, peguam yang dilantik disebut telah menyembunyi 'surat berbahasa cina tulisan tangan Teoh Beng Hock yang menyatakan rasa tidak tenteram/gusar/bimbang tentang masalah yang melanda beliau. Dan di dalam surat tulisan mendiang Teoh itu, dia telah menerima ancaman dan mahu membunuh diri.’"

"JMM menyatakan kebimbangan mengenai sentimen mengapi-apikan kebencian masyarakat Cina terhadap SPRM dan orang-orang Melayu amnya. Tindakan beberapa golongan ini dilihat sangat berbahaya dan mengancam keselamatan negara."

In one stroke, JMM cited Tan Hock Chuan has withheld evidence, committed contempt of the Inquest, conspire (with who?) to threaten the peace of the country.

Ask any Malaysian Chinese whether they will attack Malays en mass over Teoh Beng Hock incident hoping for some action and you will be extremely dissappointed. There are other ways to get back than just wanton violence.

This is 2010, not 1969 and please do not insult the respect Chinese have for peace, law and order. We Chinese have to work and fend for our families, paying taxes along the way that keep Putrajaya humming and happy.

If what JMM claim is true, then Tan Hock Chuan is an ISA case.

On the other hand, Tan Hock Chuan has a case for slander against JMM if Tan Hock Chuan feels that his integrity, professionalism and reputation is unfairly tarnished by this allegation. He should defend it by filing a suit against JMM.

I ponder what has this episode cost Malaysia and Malaysians?

Millions of ringgit has been wasted on MACC officials who

1) can't co-operate with helpful witnesses but let him die in MACC office; as a result, they have to incure unnecessary office move expenses

2) tarnish the name of the country by threatening a respected Asean forensic expert by lodging a police report against her and resulting in delay in her arrival (remember, delay cause losses - time is money)

3) until today we do not know what crime Teoh Beng Hock died for - a damning indictment of the MACC's effectiveness in combating corruption; or is there a wrong doing in the first place?

4) millions of ringgit has been wasted on the inquest and MACC is diverted from doing real work that can benefit the nation, the simple concept of opportunity cost

Barry Wain has written extensively about Mahatir's dismantling of the Malaysian judiciary in his book. This legacy has led to Lingamgate, Sodomy II and this freakshow. The eyes of the world is upon us.

A functioning judiciary and justice system is critical in attracting foreign direct investment which will help Malaysia ahieve Vision 2020 or high income nation or whatever fancy equivalent term being flaunted at voters.

FDI has declined by unprecedent, alarming and blood-chilling 80% in 2009. If this is not a wake up call, I do not know what is.

The real culprits who is draining the nation dry everyday are not apprehended. No action has been taken despite damning revelation in the Auditor General's reports or even straight in your face all for you to see evidence like the collapsing stadium in Terengganu, cracking and re-cracking MRR II, etc.

Perhaps even more significant is the sentiment among Chinese voters. "You help me I help you" campaigning or is it NFA vote buying may work sometime but not all the time.

Chinese, in addition to economic well being, also value justice and fairness. Chinese also like to see matters settled in a swift, fuss-free and fair way so that things can move on.

Dragging on the road show, hurting again and again a devastated family of broken hearts, reminding and angering a group of voters with simmering anger, could prove telling in the next GE, unless with pure tactical genius, a "surprise present" can be presented to the community just before the GE.

However, given the communal nature of Malaysian politics, there is a very delicate and difficult balancing act that has to be played out.

Unless we move on to meritocracy, need-base and just basis of governance then this kind of pointless game can be rendered obsolete.